The Lost Hobbit
by queen-of-the-arts
Summary: Willow and Tipper are two hobbits who are the best of friends. One day Willow disappears. Now it's up to shy little Tipper to find her before it's too late.
1. Willow and Tipper

**Lord of the Rings: The Next Generation**

By: Katie Zenk

Chapter 1: Willow and Tipper 

Willow Baggins sat on a rock wall in the heart of the Shire. She looked about her at the beautiful greenery, and at the hustle and bustle of hobbits preparing for market day. Here and there young hobbits darted between carts and boxes of goods. An old hobbit woman was scolding two of the young imps, who stood with their heads hanging. Away to the north she could hear the hammering of Alistair Bugburrow. He was repairing the last of the sellers' stalls from the previous harvest.

Last harvest had been a time of great joy, for the hobbits had had a wonderful harvest that year. The Gamgees had more potatoes than they could eat, and that's a lot, seeing as they had 13 little ones. The Bugburrows had cabbages coming out their ears. The Hornblowers had more string beans than could be counted. It was a splendid harvest! Everyone had more than enough food. Then, the week before the farmer's market, a gang of young hooligans decided to ruin it for everyone.

Little Lucky Hornblower had decided to organize a band of youngsters to steal some crops from "Old Man Gamgee". They had sneaked onto his place in the night to steal some potatoes. Now, if you know anything of hobbits, you know that they like to take a little nip now and again. Well, these youngsters had done just that, and were a might tipsy. In their drunken state, Charlie Proudfoot suggested that they set a little fire in the tool shed. Well, being drunk, they all agreed, and did so.

The chaos spread from there. They got carried away and burned crops, sheds, sellers' stalls, and committed all sorts of other atrocities. Hobbiton was a shambles! The residents had not seen this kind of vandalism for some years. They were horrified! They decided the punishment for the boys would have to be severe. Willow could still remember the words of the shirriff...(1)

"Willow... hullo... Willow," someone called. Willow snapped back to reality. It was Tipper Gamgee. Tipper was a little wisp of a hobbit. He was painfully thin, which is especially unusual in hobbits. He had other strange qualities too. His hair was straight and mousy brown, instead of the common curls of red or brown. His eyes were unusually large and hazel. His health was also of a rather unusual nature for a hobbit. He was rather sickly and frail. Hobbits, though not as sturdy as dwarves or as strong as men, are a fairly hearty race. He was a constant source of worry to his parents.

"Willow, are ye going to come to the Harvest Festival tonight?"

"Of course! I wouldn't miss it for the whole of Middle Earth," she said with twinkling eyes.

The Harvest Festival was one of the biggest events of the year. All the hobbits of Hobbiton and nearby Bywater gathered to celebrate the end of the harvest and the coming of winter. There would be songs, dancing, games, contests, and Willow's favorite part... storytelling. There would be old hobbits telling stories of "the old days". Some would tell of past harvests. Others would tell of romances and family life. Some would tell of the history of Hobbiton.

Many, however, would, to Willow's delight, tell of the dark days when Frodo Baggins of the Shire traveled all the way to Mordor with his gardener and two of his kinsmen.

"Come on Tipper. Let's go before they start without us."

"Alright. Oy, wait for me! Willow... wait!" he called as she darted off down the road. She looked back and noticed Tipper lagging far behind. He was running after, but much slower. He stopped momentarily, coughing and panting.  
"Oh Tipper. I'm sorry," she slowed down and walked back to him. Her bright, blue eyes were full of compassion for this sickly little one. She wanted to get to the public square before the storytelling began, but she couldn't leave him struggling alone, as so many others did. She took his hand and they walked towards the public square.

When they arrived the festival was already beginning. There were hobbits dancing, laughing, talking, and of course, drinking. Alistair Bugburrow had finished his work on the sellers' stalls and was sitting with the other men drinking and laughing. The Gamgees were sitting in the grass with the Bagginses. "Old Grumble" Gamgee was telling some little hobbit boys of the ancestry of Hobbiton.

Off in a far corner of the square sat a very old hobbit. He was wrinkled and saggy, yet his eyes sparkled with an amazing intensity. His name was (2) Bilbo Gamgee. He was the son of Old Mister Samwise, and named after Mister Bilbo, the finder of the Ring. He knew the stories of the dark days better than anyone and was a masterful storyteller.

Willow and Tipper found an empty spot at his feet and listened intently until he had finished his talk on their ancestors. "If you please, Master Gamgee, sir, we'd much rather hear about Frodo and the Ring," Tipper said softly.

"Speak up my lad," said Bilbo. "My ears aren't what they used to be."

"He said," Willow bawled at the old hobbit, "that..."

"Alright, alright, you don't have to yell, young Willow. I said my ears aren't what they used to be, not that they had fallen off."

"Sorry," she said with a sheepish grin. "He said that he wanted to hear about Frodo and the Ring. If you could, tell us a little more about Samwise the Brave this time, please," she said with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Ah yes, my poor father and dear Mister Frodo, bless him," said Bilbo softly. His eyes twinkled merrily as he looked off into space, recalling all the tales his father had told him as a boy. Then they began to mist over as he thought of how Frodo had gone away over the sea with the original Mister Bilbo. Little Tipper noticed this and placed his frail, little hand on the old hobbit's knee.

"Oh yes," he said, wiping his eyes. "Where was I? Oh yes, I was going to tell you about Master Frodo and the Ring." So, he told them tales of Frodo and Samwise, Pippin and Merry, Aragorn, and Boromir, Legolas and Gimli, and all their adventures. He told them of Gondor and Rohan. He told them of Mirkwood and Mordor. The young hobbits listened intently. The adventurous tales of their ancestors mesmerized them. When he had finished they begged for more, and he gladly gave it to them. In fact, he went on through the entire festival, long into the night.

When they noticed it was quite dark and everyone was going home, there were only two little ones left, Willow and Tipper. Old Bilbo Gamgee got slowly to his feet. "That's enough for tonight, young ones. Now, hurry on home and get to bed. Ye needs your sleep."

"Oh please just one more! Tell us about Sam's battle with Shelob," Willow said excitedly.

"No," cried Tipper. "That's too frightening! Tell us about King Elessar and the Lady Arwen."

"No, no more for tonight. You two are much too excited as it is. Your parents will never get you to sleep. I've told you more than I've told any children for ages. Now off ye go." Bilbo gave them a little pat on the head and watched them walk hand in hand down the lane and separate only when they came to the house of the Gamgees. He sighed and walked off toward his own cozy hole.

**(1) The Hobbit Policeman**

**(2) Appendix C of Return Of The King "Family Trees" See children of Samwise and Rosie**


	2. The Kidnapping

Chapter 2: The Kidnapping 

Tipper awoke early the next morning to the sound of bells clanging. At first he thought it must mean that it was a holiday, but there weren't any holidays this soon after the Harvest Festival. "What could it mean then?" he wondered aloud. Then he realized it wasn't a bright merry chiming at all, it was the clanging of the warning bell. Something awful must have happened!

He pulled on his clothes as quickly as he could. Then he ran outside to the square where a large crowd was already gathered. He jumped up and down trying to see over the heads of all the older hobbits. Poor Tipper was quite short, even for a hobbit, and couldn't see a thing.

"She's gone," a lady sobbed. "My poor little one is gone!"

"There, there," someone said as they tried to console her. "I'm sure she'll turn up. She always was a rather naughty little one. She's probably off playing somewhere."

"Who, who's gone?" asked Tipper. No one paid the little hobbit any heed.

Tipper was about to give up and wait inside until someone told him at breakfast, when he spied Old Bilbo Gamgee. Bilbo was standing, leaning on his crutch, at the edge of the crowd with his head bent. Tipper ran over to him. "Master Gamgee, sir, do you know what's going on?" he asked anxiously.

"Ah Tipper, my lad," he said with a sigh. He seemed pained and quite grieved. Apparently he didn't think whoever it was would turn up, as the others did. "Willow's gone missing, that dear little imp." Tipper couldn't believe it.

"Did she just disappear? Do they think she's run away? What's happened?" he cried.

"Some think that she's run away, but I knew her better than that. She was a little beast, but she wouldn't run away."

"Well," cried Tipper, "what do you think has befallen her?"

"I don't know," said Bilbo with a pained sigh, "but it isn't good, I'll warrant. Anytime a hobbit's gone missing from this town, it's been for some sinister purpose."

"You mean like when Master Frodo went missing with your father, Master Pergrin and Master Meriadoc? Tipper asked.

"Yes... I mean... of course not. Mordor's dark and dead. Nothing of that kind can have befallen her." If only Bilbo had known just how wrong he was.


	3. The Decision

Chapter 3: The Decision

"Tipper, of all the hobbits in the shire, you are the last one I would let go!" said the mayor, Gimble Proudfoot. "You're much too young! You have never been farther than Hobbiton. Why you've never even been in any other part of the shire. You've never seen Bywater, Buckland, or even Tuckbourough. What makes you think that I'd let you go out and look for a missing hobbit?" he asked.

"I... uh... well..." he stammered.

"Well... speak up. If you can give me three good reasons why I should let you go, when all our search parties have turned up nothing, I'll let you have a go."

Tipper couldn't think of any, so he stomped out of the mayor's hobbit hole onto the street. "I've got five good reasons right here," he said making a fist and wishing he'd been brave enough to say so to the mayor's face. "I should go, because Willow needs me. She's always been good to me. She was kind to me when no one else would be. I've just got to help her. What if Master Bilbo was right? What if something awful has happened to her? I can't just abandon her and trust to luck that she'll be fine. She could be in danger or hurt. I've got to do something whether the mayor likes it or not!"

Tipper had made up his mind. He would go home and get a pack and some supplies. He'd find a cloak and borrow his sister's for Willow when he found her. He'd set off just like Mister Frodo did so long ago.

As his thoughts drifted to Frodo and his companions from generations ago, he realized he was standing at his own door. "Mum, mum," he called excitedly, "Mum, pack me some food and an extra set of clothes. I'm going to look for Willow."

"What?" his mother shrieked. "Tipper Gamgee, you are not leaving the shire! I don't care if the good King Elessar, himself, was lost out there! You're not going!"

"But Mum, you don't understand. I've got to find her! She's my friend!"

"I don't care! You're much too small. You are my youngest, my baby. I'm not going to lose you out there, and that's that!"

"But what about Willow?" Tipper said in despair.

"Someone else will find her. Besides, she's a big girl. She can take care of herself. She's a Baggins, remember?"

"And I'm a Gamgee," Tipper yelled. "If Mister Samwise could travel all that way, fight orcs, help destroy the Ring of Doom, and live to tell about it, then I ought to be able to find a lost friend!"

"No, and that's final," his mother said firmly and crossed her arms on her chest, which was her sign that she wouldn't change her mind, even if Sauron himself were chasing her.

Well that did it. Tipper ran to his room, flung himself on his bed, and let his tears of anger, sorrow, and loneliness fall. "I will find you Willow! Somehow, I'll find you, even if it's the last thing I ever do," he vowed. Then Tipper made the decision that would change his life forever, he decided to go to Old Bilbo Gamgee and get a map and some advice.


	4. Bilbo's Hobbit Hole

Chapter 4: Bilbo's Hobbit Hole 

Tipper gathered together a set of clothes and his spyglass, which was a present from the Bagginses, they being friends of the family and all. It was also the only thing of any value that he owned. Then when all was dark in the house, he gathered up all the food he could fit into his pack and quickly scrawled a note to the family on a piece of parchment.

_Dear Mum and Papa,_

_I've gone to find Willow. I'm sorry you disapprove, but this is something I have to do. She's always been there for me and now it's my turn to be there for her. When you start to worry, just keep in mind, I am descended from a great family. I am of the same blood as Samwise the Brave. I love you all dearly, but I must go._

_Goodbye,_

_Tipper _

With that he slipped out the door and headed for Bilbo's home.

As he trudged slowly down the road, his eyes were constantly scanning for anyone who might see him and tell his parents. His thoughts began to stray. What would Bilbo say? What if he thought Tipper too young for this task also? What if he sent him home, or worse yet, told his parents? What would he do then?

He thought of not going to Bilbo at all, but then he remembered that Bilbo kept collections of maps and other relics from other lands and ancient days. He was much like the original Mister Bilbo. Tipper wouldn't get very far without a map. Fortunately he had been educated in how to read them. He must go to Bilbo's.

Bilbo's face lit up when he saw young Tipper standing on his doorstep, but then his face changed and he was quite somber, knowing why Tipper had come. "What are you doing out of bed at this hour, little master?" he asked politely, though he knew.

"I... I need to ask you a favor," Tipper said softly. "I want to go after Willow, but I need a map. I know how to read them, but haven't any. Would you borrow me one?"

"I'd borrow you my left arm if ye needed it," said Bilbo with a half hearted smile. "You'd best come in. It's too cold to be standing on my doorstep."

He led Tipper to a little room in the very back of the hole. It was bare except for a crowded desk and a bookshelf. The bookshelf was even more crowded than the desk. Both were littered with papers, books, maps, and letters, anything imaginable that told of the history of Hobbiton. Bilbo rummaged threw them with surprising speed. When he had found the one that he wanted, he whistled softly and poked his head out of the pile of papers. "Here it is, young master."

"What is it?" asked Tipper with curiosity.

"I'll show you," said Bilbo with a smile.

He took the map to the kitchen and laid it out on the table. He slipped a small pair of wire-rimmed glasses onto his nose and pointed. "This," he said, as he pointed to a spot on the map, "is us."

"I know that, sir" Tipper said, trying to sound calm. "I know how to read it. I just need to borrow it. I'm in a hurry. I'm going to find Willow." He stressed this point in case the old hobbit had forgotten why he had come.

"Well, in that case," said Bilbo with a twinkle in his eye, "you'll be needing a few other things too."

With a sudden energy, he scampered off to his bedroom and returned with a large bundle. "These were entrusted to me by my father. He intended me to keep them as heirlooms and pass them on to my children, but as I don't have any, and I think you need them more than I, here you are." As he spoke he unrolled the bundle. He pulled the items out one by one. "This," he said, "is the Mithril coat given to the original Mister Bilbo by the dwarves long ago. When dear Mister Frodo left it to my father, he wrapped it up and never took it out again. It reminded him too much of his dear master."

"Why are you giving me this?" Tipper asked.

"Shh, I'm not finished yet," Bilbo said. As he spoke he drew out the Phial of Galadriel. "This is the Phial of Galadriel. It contains the light of the evenstar. It was a gift to Master Frodo. I'm sure you know that story."

"Yes sir," Tipper said as he stared wide-eyed at the things in the bundle. Then Bilbo drew out a magnificent blade. It glittered in the light.

"This," Bilbo said with pride, "is Sting. It served Master Bilbo and Master Frodo well. May it serve you well also." As he spoke he took the blade in his hand and gently put the hilt in Tipper's hand. "You're a brave little one and I wish you all the luck in the world! Find Willow and do not fail! Something ill has befallen her. I can feel it."

Tipper took the mithril coat and put it on under his clothes. He sheathed Sting and hung it about his belt and hung the Phial of Galadriel about his neck. He looked up at Bilbo and smiled gratefully. No words could he find to express his amazement, wonder and pleasure at wearing the things of the brave Frodo Baggins of the Shire.


	5. Willow's Captivity

Chapter 5: Willow's Captivity

Willow opened her eyes slowly and looked about her. She saw nothing but darkness for a time, but then her eyes began to adjust to the dark. She saw that she was in a cave. There were strange rock formations that looked like icicles hanging from the roof. They were dripping. Actually, the whole cave was quite damp and dank.

Her nose wrinkled as she sniffed the air. It was musty and stale. It smelled of stagnant water, mildew, and something awful that she couldn't make out. She buried her nose in the collar of her dress. "Where am I? Such an awful place can't be part of the Shire. What happened? I wonder how I got here."

Suddenly she heard a clumping sound in the distance. "What could that be," she wondered aloud. The sound grew louder and louder. It was the sound of footsteps on the rock floor of the cave. Willow gasped and turned her face to the wall, hoping whatever it was wouldn't notice her. She wasn't that lucky.

"Get up, you little worm," the cruel thing shouted at her. It was an enormous shadow in the dark. Its eyes glowed in the blackness and she could smell it's foul odor. It was the same smell that she hadn't been able to distinguish before. She tried to hold her breath, but to no avail. There wasn't enough clean air to hold in her lungs. The whole cave was filled with its foul reek.

The creature grabbed her by the arm and yanked her up. "C'mon you little maggot," it growled fiercely.

"W...who are you? What do you want from me?"

"I wants you to get up and move," it said gruffly. It tightened its grip on her arm and began to drag her out of the cave.

Willow noticed that outside of the cave was just as dark as inside. It was cloudy and there was no moon. She couldn't even see any stars. A mist hung low to the ground and shrouded everything in mystery and gloom. Willow shivered and began to drag her feet.

The creature turned around and stared at her with his fiery eyes. She trembled as she looked back at it. In what light there was, for the first time, she could make out what this hideous thing was. It was a huge orc. It growled at her and bared its teeth like an animal about to strike its prey.

"We'll not be having any of this stopping here and there," it said. "We're going to keep moving until I says so."

This time Willow didn't cower. She stood up straight. "I'm tired," she announced. "I want to stop and get a little shut eye." The orc looked at her with a puzzled look.

"And what makes you think I am going to listen to you?"

"I'll not take another step until I've rested," she said stubbornly.

Now, you see, in the Shire, Willow was known as a rather naughty and outspoken hobbit. She did as she wanted and didn't relish authority. She was proud of it and wasn't going to change her ways to suit some nasty orc, even if it was at least twice her size.

The orc stared at her. He couldn't believe his ears! This little creature was disobeying him. None of the creatures he'd ever come across had dared to oppose him before. This made him furious! "You," he growled in a harsh guttural voice, "you'll move when I says so. You'll stop when I says so. You are my prisoner and you'll do as I tells you!" He scooped her up and threw her over his back like a sack of potatoes, and began running.

She gagged as she inhaled his awful stench! She pounded on his back with her small fists. "Let me go!" The large orc just laughed and kept loping along at a pretty fair pace.

Willow wasn't sure where they were going, but she was sure it wasn't some place nice. Perhaps they were going to his home, wherever that might be. Maybe it was a dark, damp, smelly cave like the one they had just left. It could be some sort of wretched hole in some land forsaken by the civilized world, or maybe, she thought, they weren't even going to his home. They could be going some place far worse, though she couldn't think of anything worse than what she'd already been through.

While those thoughts flashed through her mind, she realized that she was still quite sleepy. "Well, that's one good thing about this awful brute carrying me. It gives me a chance to rest, if one can sleep while bumping about like this," she thought with contempt. As it turned out, when driven to it, one could sleep like that, and she slept for quite a while.

When she woke up, the first thing she did was look around her. She noticed that the moon, which had been covered before down was now replaced by a warm and pleasant sun. It would have been a beautiful day, if only a friend or relative instead of this awful beast accompanied her. Friend... she began to think of Hobbiton and all her friends there. She realized suddenly, how much she missed them.

She suddenly missed little (3) Harvey Hornblower. They were good friends. He was the only other hobbit in the whole Shire that would go swimming with her. Hobbits, on the general whole, hate water. It is dangerous because they are so short and cannot go very far out before the water is over their heads. Harvey and Willow were exceptions to this rule. They had learned to swim early on.

One day they had been wandering the Shire together and come upon (4) the creek that ran through Hobbiton. Harvey had suggested that the cool water might feel good on their tired feet. So they waded in a little way, enjoying the cool water swirling about their toes. Then Willow had gotten a particularly mischievous look in her eye and when Harvey's back was turned, she slapped the water as hard as she could, completely drenching him. Harvey looked like a cat that had been nearly drowned. He yelled and shouted and then he began to chase her. She ran away laughing.

Suddenly she noticed that she was getting out quite deep, but Harvey was still chasing and yelling. She had to keep on running. Harvey had just about caught up to her when she completely disappeared from sight. He did not know what to do. He just ran out to help her. He noticed too late that there was a dip in the creek bed and he disappeared too.

It only took a moment for them to began to kick in desperation and low and behold they popped back up to the surface, sputtering but alive. Willow looked over at Harvey and saw that he was kicking about too. After they adjusted to the shock, they began to enjoy it. It was rather fun and the water did feel good in the heat of the summer.

Her reverie was interrupted by the orc's cry of "'Ere we are. We'll camp here."

He dropped her onto the floor of another rather damp and smelly cave. She began to

wonder if all orcs liked caves as much as this one. She began to wonder if there were any other orcs besides this one. She knew that after The War of the Ring, those that had not been slain had fled to the hills. The trouble was that "the hills" were in Mordor. How did this lone orc come to be in the Shire kidnapping hobbits? Willow decided to find out, if she could get him to talk to her.

"Excuse me sir," she said as politely as she knew how, even though she assumed manners would be wasted on this creature. "We've never been acquainted. What is your name?"

"I don't talk to little maggots like you," he said with a sneer.

"Well excuse me, but I'm not a maggot, or a worm, or any other sort of creature. I am a hobbit," she said indignantly. "And my name is Willow Baggins."

"Hmm..." the orc grunted as if thinking this over. "A hobbit, eh? I haven't never seen a hobbit before, but I've heard of one once. He was a prisoner in Mordor and he ruined... Sauron." As he spoke the name of the dark lord, even this foul beast shuddered.

"That would be Frodo Baggins, one of my ancestors," she announced proudly.

"Well, then you really are the scum of all maggots, as the master told me," he growled and looked at her with a piercing glance that made her knees knock.

After that he was silent and sat staring blankly at the wall of the cave with his back to her. She thought of trying to escape while his back was turned, but decided it was too risky. She would have to wait until better opportunity presented itself. Instead, she lay down against the back wall of the cave and tucked her legs up underneath her skirt. She decided she would try to sleep. Sleep, however, did not come as easily as she had hoped. She lay there staring into the darkness.

Her thoughts began to stray back to her friends in the Shire again. She thought of old Mister Bilbo and his wonderful stories, which made her remember Tipper. "Dear little Tipper," she thought. "He was always so sweet and innocent. He was such dear friend. I wonder what he's thinking about?" Little did she know that Tipper was thinking of her right that minute.

**(3)Lucky's brother, for those who are keeping track of these things**

**(4) The forming of the creek is another story in itself. It was well known that the only brook in The Shire at the time of Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin was in Buckland. You must remeber however that this story takes place quite a bit after Frodo's time.**


	6. Tipper's Journey Begins

Chapter 6: Tipper's Journey Begins 

Tipper didn't know what to say. He was wearing the armor and weapons of the great Frodo Baggins! All he could do was stare. "Well," asked Bilbo, "what do you think? Will these be sufficient to help you on your journey?"

"Th... they're perfect," Tipper managed to stammer.

"I am glad that I finally found the proper use for these great items," Bilbo said with a small smile. "Things like these don't belong on a shelf all wrapped up. They belong in battles and in the undertaking of great deeds."

Tipper sat down on Bilbo's stool to think. He had a map, Sting, the mithril coat, and the Phial of Galdriel. Now all he needed to do was begin. "That is always the hardest part, beginning, I mean," said Bilbo guessing his thoughts. "Mister Bilbo, the original of course, not yours truly, used to say so." Tipper assumed this must be true, but he had to start, difficult or not.

At last he made up his mind that he could not put off starting his journey any longer. He rose and gave old Bilbo a small hug and headed for the door. "Wait," cried Bilbo suddenly. "I have a few more things to say before you go. First of all, be careful. You are the only hope for Willow, if there is still any hope to be had," He added with a wistful sigh. "Secondly," he said with more confidence, "keep your eyes and ears open. You may learn details from where you least expect to hear them. It is also very important to be wary. The world has become a strange place again, only we are lulled into a false sense of security here."

"Is there any thing else I should know," asked Tipper.

"Only this. No matter how bleak things may seem there is always hope. Though you may find many enemies along the way, you may also find many friends. Master Frodo did. They may come from the strangest places or in the strangest forms, but they are out there. The world is never all bad! That is the one thing you must always remember!"

Tipper hugged Bilbo again and shouldered his pack. His adventure was finally starting. The search for Willow was on.

Tipper walked along at a fair pace, for a sickly little hobbit anyway. He smiled as he looked about him at the Shire lit with the light of a thousand stars and the moon. Her pale face seemed to be smiling back, as if to say, "Good for you Tipper Gamgee. You are finally doing something with yourself. You are finally growing up."

He wanted to think that this was just going to be an exciting adventure without any danger. He didn't want to think about the very real perils that existed in the world. He imagined himself as Frodo setting off with his best friends to dispose of a ring and ultimately save Middle Earth.

Suddenly a gust of wind blew up from over the stream and made him shiver. The icy bite of the wind also brought with it the sting of reality. He was a young hobbit, alone in the world for the first time, trying to find a lost friend that he had no idea where to look for. He had never been out of the Shire and now he would have to travel to Heaven knows where. Suddenly he felt very alone and frightened! He thought of turning back, but then he thought about Willow. She had been his only true friend. He couldn't forsake her out there, wherever she might be


End file.
